


Rise of the Red Dragon

by Rainewritesfanfics



Series: Dracène Rouge [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Girlfriends - Freeform, Holidays, Kisses, lilanetteweek, red dragon - Freeform, wlw, zodiac miraculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 02:39:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9051922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainewritesfanfics/pseuds/Rainewritesfanfics
Summary: This was my contribution to the Lilanette Secret Santa on Tumblr. Written for @RowantreeartLila knows who Marinette is, but it's hard not being able to do anything when Akuma attacks happen. During one such attack, Lila encounters a mysterious old man who gives her some advice, and a box.





	

Lila's head snapped up from the desk just in time to see the wall on her left crumble to ruin beneath the fist of an akuma. 

Aurore screamed, and Mireille shouted for everyone to run. Their voices were nearly drowned out by the sudden pounding of Lila's pulse as it thrummed with panic. 

Ladybug would be there soon. As an ordinary citizen, that should have been comforting, but as Ladybug's girlfriend, it was terrifying. Lila, under her breath, offered a few suggestions as to what Hawkmoth could do with his butterflies. 

Marinette may not have known, but Lila was well aware of her super-suited adventures. They had been dating long enough for Lila to put some things together, such as how the two girls are never in the same place at the same time, or the fact that her photo-editing software thinks the 'two' are the same person. Honestly, Lila has no idea how no one else has made the connection. 

A crash came from a few feet away as the akuma slammed a desk and yelled something about finals. 

Instinct drove Lila to flee when the akuma got too close, but she couldn't help feeling useless. There was a restless unease that consumed her every time Marinette donned her polka-dotted uniform. Logic told her that Chat Noir would and did protect her, but Lila wished she could do something other than cower while her best friend was fighting to save the city from mass hypnotism or destruction or freezing. Hell, even the real holder of the fox miraculous would take a hit before Marinette, but, frankly, the other heroes didn't matter to Lila.

Lila only cared about what happened to Marinette, as terrible as that may seem to others. Out of the corner of her eye, Lila caught a glimpse of red followed by a streak of orange headed into the fray. Her blood boiled with jealousy and just a pinch of self-loathing at the thought of the fox girl being there for Marinette when she couldn't.

In her frustration, Lila turned and punched the wall, immediately regretting that decision when pain flared in her right hand. "God! Son of a-! Oww!"

"What seems to be the matter?" Lila turned around to see an old man in a Hawaiian shirt. For a brief moment, she wondered who he was and why he was in the school courtyard with her.

Cradling her hand, Lila put on the fake smile that had gotten her through life. "Nothing is wrong, sir. Just that a bug was giving me some trouble." There, not entirely a lie."

The man gave her a long, assessing look that made Lila feel strangely vulnerable.

When he finished, he looked somewhat disappointed, and Lila felt as though she had failed some sort of test. 

Squaring her shoulders, Lila approached the man. "It's not safe here. I'm sure we'd make things easier for the heroes if we got out of harm's way. Allow me to take you somewhere safe."

The man looked pleasantly surprised as he took the arm Lila offered.

Lila did her best to ignore the sounds of battle and suppress her nerves as she walked with the old man. Part of her knew it was stupid and reckless, but the larger part of her wanted to be right there beside Marinette, where she at least knew the other girl would be safe.

After they had rounded the corner past Marinette's place, the man spoke again. "You know, you remind me a lot of my granddaughter. Very stubborn. She doesn't always say how she really feels, but her heart is usually in the right place, even when she thinks she's being selfish."

Lila almost stopped walking in surprise. Quietly, she asked, "Is your granddaughter happy with herself?"

The old man looked at her with that same all-knowing gaze. His lips quirked in a slight smile. "Not yet, but I am quite certain that she'll get there someday soon."

Lila was about to speak, but the man spoke first. 

"Oh, would you look at that! We seem to have reached my shop."

Lila turned to see a massage parlor. It was decorated with Chinese characters like the ones she saw in Sabine's romance novel collection and in her mother's office.

The old man gave a slight bow, clearly struggling with his hip. Lila bowed in response. "Be sure to stop by if you ever need a massage. I've been told I have a bit of a 'magic' touch," he said, chuckling. 

Just before she was about to head back to the bakery to wait for Marinette, he spoke again.

"Oh, and Lila, before I forget. Next time a bug gives you trouble, I would suggest checking your pockets." With that final piece of advice, the old man hobbled into the shop. Lila only faintly heard the bells chime on the door.

She shoved her hands into the pockets of her romper, coming up with nothing. Finally looking at his retreating figure, she asked, "How did he know my name?" 

Lila turned and only made it a few feet before the swarm of ladybugs swept through the city, repairing the damage the akuma had wrought. Even the throbbing in her knuckles faded to a dull ache.

Lila pulled her phone out of her pocket, glancing at the time. After a moment of deliberation, she took off running for the bakery. 

Back inside his shop, Master Fu chuckled to himself. Wayzz flew out of his pocket, his tiny arms crossed. "Really, Master? Do you think this is wise?"

Fu looked as his companion. "My friend, I will admit that I never expected to use the Zodiac Miraculous so soon, but I sense that Hawkmoth is just the beginning. The world will be safer if there are more heroes to protect it."

"But she only wants to protect Ladybug. She hardly cares about the world," Wayzz noted disapprovingly.

Fu shuffled over to his pantry, pulling out a snack for himself and Wayzz. "Lila has a long way to go, this is true, but I know she'll succeed. She is far more altruistic than she gives herself credit for."

"How can you be sure?"

"You could call it a family bond."

Wayzz's eyes widened. "Are you serious, Master? She's your...?"

"My great, great, great-granddaughter. I was not lying when I said she reminded me of my granddaughter; I was just off by a few generations."

Wayzz looked as though he couldn't decide whether to groan or be impressed. "You never cease to amaze, Master."

.....

"So what do you want for Christmas?" Marinette asked, rubbing her face against Lila's shoulder blades. Lila, who was laying propped up on her stomach, glanced up from Marinette's sketchbook and over her shoulder to where her girlfriend was laying on top of her. The chaise creaked as Lila shifted under Marinette, just enough to lean her head against the dark bangs of the smaller girl.

"I've already got the thing I wanted most, Bella. I have you."

Marinette wrinkled her nose, shifting on top of Lila. "You're so cheesy."

"Good thing you love cheese," Lila teased, reaching a hand back to poke her girlfriend. 

Marinette poked Lila back, making her squeak. "Rude," Lila muttered.

"Seriously, Lila, what do you want?"

'I want you to be safe,' Lila thought. Out loud she said, "I don't know, surprise me."

Marinette huffed, but then abruptly sat up, accidentally elbowing Lila. "Sorry! I just had an idea. Get up! I need to measure you. I've got the perfect thing!"

Lila groaned, rubbing her back where Marinette's bony elbow had landed. "Okay, okay, just let me get up." She made a big show of her back hurting her, and Marinette sighed.

"Stop being dramatic; I already apologized."

Lila bit back a mischievous smile. "Y'know, you could always kiss it better."

Marinette rolled her eyes. Lila shrugged and turned back to the lounge to pick up her discarded cardigan. She jumped as she felt a pair of hands at her waist. Carefully, with a great deal of hesitation, Marinette pushed up the cream colored fabric of Lila's blouse up to her waist. Lila forgot how to breath when a pair of lips landed over the sore spot. They both stayed completely still for a moment, but to Lila it could have been an eternity. Her heart was beating like crazy and her knees were rapidly going wobbly.

After some time, Marinette pulled back, and Lila turned around, barely registering her girlfriend's blush due to her own flaming cheeks. 

"I-is that better?" Marinette asked, fidgeting with her tape measure.

Lila nodded, unable to speak. After a moment she croaked, "It's great."

Fumbling and blushing, Marinette flitted around Lila, taking various measurements. Lila was almost too dazed to notice. 

When Lila gathered her things after dinner, Marinette took her up to the balcony so they could both stare at the stars.

Lila reached out and took Marinette's hand in her own. Marinette smiled at her. "Happy ten month anniversary," Lila said, bringing their joined hands up to her lips an pressing a kiss to Marinette's knuckles. 

"Happy anniversary to you too." Marinette used her free hand to pull Lila closer and kiss her. 

After saying goodnight to Marinette and Sabine, Lila wrapped herself in her caramel-colored coat. Tom slid his sweater on and began to walk her home. 

Once they reached the embassy, Tom pulled Lila into a hug, and Lila relished the feeling of a fatherly hug until they both let go. Once he had rounded the corer, Lila stopped waving, letting her shoulders fall as she trudged through the day-old snow and up the steps.

The guards let her in without a second glance. Raoul, the old caretaker, waved to Lila once she was in the foyer, so she waved back before heading upstairs to her room. 

Once her door was firmly closed behind her, she dropped her school bag next to her desk, intent on flopping onto her bed. She paused just as she was in the process of kicking off her boots when her brain registered a clatter. 

After she had kicked off her other shoe, Lila turned back to the desk, searching for the source of the noise. Her eyes landed on a black box that seemed of have spilled out of her bag's front pocket. A small part of her worried that it might be dangerous or something, but then the old man's words echoed in her mind, "Next time a bug gives you trouble, I would suggest checking in the front pocket."

Hesitantly, Lila reached for the box. Her eyes traced over the Chinese characters, and she again wished she had asked her mother or Sabine to teach her the language. When nothing happened upon contact, Lila hesitantly took the box and placed it on her lap. 

She opened the lid quickly, and she almost fell backward when a sphere of golden light flashed. 

Blinking away the black dots, Lila found her mouth hanging open. In front of her was a tiny dragon-like creature that was floating? Flying? 

Emerald eyes blinked back at Lila as a deep red tail uncoiled. Just as Lila was about to scream, the tiny dragon flew in front of her face, urgently shushing her. "Don't scream! Shh! Shh! Just let me explain!"

After a moment, Lila forced herself to close her mouth. After licking her lips, she asked, "What are you? Why are you here?"

"I'm a kwami, and my name is Auraa" the little dragon said, her voice carrying a hint of a Chinese accent. "I am here because you have been chosen to be the holder of the primary Zodiac Miraculous. You were chosen to become the next Dragon Warrior."

"I must be dreaming. There's no way this is happening," Lila muttered, covering her eyes with her hands as if that would make the kwami leave. 

"Dragon's are great protectors, from princesses to gold to loved ones," Auraa pointed out, brushing her golden mane out of the way. "Was it not your wish to protect the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous?"

Lila's hands slid down her face as she turned an incredulous look to the tiny being. "You can help me protect her?" 

Auraa nodded, bowing her head so her horns were level with Lila's nose. 

"Alright then," Lila said, crossing her legs, "enlighten me."

....

Two hours later, after Auraa had gotten the time to explain her powers and duties, Lila had breathed her transformation phrase for the first time. Now she was running around the Parisian skyline, feeling as if she had been reborn. 

She paused near a fountain, staring at her reflection again in wonder. Ribbons trailed from the sides of her red and gold mask, fluttering in the winter breeze. Despite her bare shoulders and biceps, she felt no chill. 

The moonlight glinted off of the scales that adorned her gloves, suit, and tail. Around her wrist, the jade bracelet, formerly a blood-orange, now sparkled green like her hair pieces. Down the center-front of her suit, Lila traced the ridged beige patch, stopping when her clawed gloves brushed the golden fur belt. It was nearly identical to Auraa's mane, and it was used as a trim on her gloves, boots, and tail too. It was soft despite its bristly appearance, and Lila couldn't stop touching it. 

If not for the soft crunch of snow behind her, Lila wouldn't have noticed she had company. 

"Who are you?" Lila recognized the voice and sighed in relief; it was just Ladybug.

She turned, trying to look cool. "I'm- uh...." her shoulders fell. "Who am I? I'm a new hero, I guess. The kwami said I'm the holder of the Jade Dragon Miraculous, but I haven't picked a name yet."

Ladybug looked surprised. She took a few steps closer, circling Lila. 

After a minute, the heroine sighed and shrugged, making Lila giggle internally. Marinette was still herself inside and outside of the suit. "I guess you can patrol with me tonight. Chat already has company for his patrol."

"Cool," Lila said, toeing the snow absently with her beige boot.

"How do you get around?" Ladybug asked as she pulled her yoyo out. 

Lila got deja vu as she said, "I can fly."

Ladybug smiled, tossing her yoyo out to hook a nearby building. "Well then, see if you can keep up."

A week of patrols later, Lila found herself sitting with Ladybug and Chat Noir atop the Eiffel Tower.

"So ladies, any plans for the holiday tomorrow?" Chat asked, wrapping an arm loosely around each of them. Both red-suited heroines shrugged his arms off. Lila rolled her eyes. The cat would be in for a surprise if he ever found out Ladybug was her girlfriend. Ladybug would be too, though...

Ladybug rubbed her hands together. "Mostly spending time with my family, like usual."

Interesting. Was she intentionally leaving out their date tomorrow? Perhaps to spare the cat.

"What about you, Dracène Rouge?" Chat- Adrien, she reminded herself, thinking back to her photo software- asked.

Lila smiled, leaning forward. "I've got a date with my girlfriend."

Chat's eyes widened, but then he grinned. "Lucky."

Ladybug's eyes widened in slight horror. "Oh my god! I have to go! I forgot to finish something! See you in two days! Bye!" Before either of them could comment, she had whipped her yoyo out and swung away. 

Lila couldn't help giggling. She was fairly certain Marinette had forgotten something relating to Lila's present. 

"What?" Chat asked, scratching his head.

Lila sighed. "She's very cute, isn't she."

"Yeah."

.....

Auraa nestled deeper into Lila's hooded coat as they made the short walk from the embassy to the bakery. Lila was in a good mood. Her parents had both been home for once, and they had been really thoughtful with their gifts. 

She was practically skipping before she knocked on the residential door around the side of the bakery. 

Sabine opened the door and immediately smothered Lila with a hug as warm as her personality. "Merry Christmas, Sweetie!" 

"Merry Christmas," Lila echoed, beaming. After leaving her coat and boots by the door, she followed Sabine up to the family room. Auraa radiated heat from her place in Lila's pocket. Once upstairs, Lila set the presents in her hands down next to the others just before Tom scooped her up and hugged her tight. 

"Merry Christmas, Lila," he said as he set her down.

Lila smiled again. "Merry Christmas to you too." Just as she was about to ask where Marinette was, she heard footsteps approaching the trapdoor. She looked up just in time to see Marinette's grin before the shorter girl slid down the steps and threw her arms around Lila. 

"Lila! You made it!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Bella," Lila replied, kissing her nose. 

Marinette took her hand with the one that wasn't holding a present and lead her over to the tree. 

Lila handed presents to Tom and Sabine, watching them eagerly. 

"Oh Lila," Sabine breathed. "This is the set I was looking at. When did you slip off to buy this?" she asked as she stared at the calligraphy set. 

"When I told you I was getting a snack" Lila said proudly. 

Sabine placed the set on the table and got up to hug Lila. "Thank you, Sweetie."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

"Me next," Tom interjected, pulling the tissue paper out of his gift bag. He pulled the shirt out, letting it unfold so he could read it. He let out a booming laugh and then turned the shirt so the girls could see. "A great baker rises to the occasion; it's the yeast he can do." 

"This is the best shirt ever! I'm going to wear it so much you three are gonna be sick of it."

"Oh no," Marinette cried melodramatically, "Lila, what have you done?"

After a moment, they all started laughing. 

"Here, Lila, this is a little something from Tom and I," Sabine said, offering a bag printed in a ladybug pattern. 

Lila teared up, but fought the emotions back. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"Of course we did," Tom said. "You're part of the family now, kid."

Lila wiped at her eyes, grinning at the family around her. Her family? Yes. Her family. 

Lila pulled the tissue paper aside, gasping when her eyes landed on her present. "Oh my god," she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. "Thank you!" Gingerly, she took the watercolor set out of the bag. "This is too much! This set is expensive," Lila admonished gently.

"Sweetie, we've seen your art. You are so incredibly talented. We're so proud. This is the least we could do after all of the help and time you've given us this year," Sabine said, holding her arms open as Lila went over and hugged her, crying just a little bit.

"Thank you," Lila repeated, moving to hug Tom. "I can't wait to use these!"

After staring in awe at the watercolor pans for a few minutes, Lila noticed Marinette fidgeting, so she carefully put the set back in the bag and turned to her girlfriend. 

"Merry Christmas!" Marinette exclaimed, pushing the box from earlier toward Lila.

Lila laughed, "Thank you." She carefully tore through the wrapping paper to reveal a white box. After opening the flaps, her breath caught as her eyes landed on a thick, cream-colored garment. Carefully, she pulled it out of the box. When she held it up, she teared up again. In her hands was a long sleeved-dress. It was made out of a warm, corduroy-type fabric, with subtle stripping running down the length of it. A loose turtle-neck and a small slit in the front served as decoration. "Oh, Bella, this is stunning."

"I saw you looking at winter dresses the other day in my sketchbook, so I decided to make it for you."

"You made this whole thing in a week!?"

"I made three, actually. There's a second one beneath the tissue paper for you, and I made one for myself so we can match, you know," Marinette said, blushing.

Lila put the dress down and then threw herself at her girlfriend. "You are amazing. What did I ever do to deserve you?"

Marinette grinned cheekily. "Well, I am pretty amazing, but so are you." She leaned over and kissed Lila briefly. 

"I'll put the dress on right after you open your present, okay?" Lila hefted the gigantic gift bag toward Marinette.

Marinette took the tissue paper out, surprised when one of them had some weight. "What...?" She carefully unfolded the tissue to reveal a pack of washable fabric markers. "Oh this is perfect! How did you know I was almost out?"

Lila smiled. "I noticed you were having some trouble with your markers last week, they were much lighter than usual, so I picked up a pack for you."

Marinette hugged her. "That is so thoughtful!"

"Keep going, Mari, that was just the start," Lila said, nudging Marinette back toward the bag.

Obediently, Marinette returned to the bag. She reached into the bag and pulled a few meters of shimmering golden clothe that she twitched to design with. She hugged Lila, but her girlfriend was distracted, waiting for Marinette to see the final present.

The last thing Marinette pulled out was a framed watercolor piece. She gasped at how beautiful it was, but she nearly forgot how to breathe when she saw the subjects of the painting.

Bounding across the Parisian skyline, two heroines were depicted with intertwined hands. In the lead was Ladybug, her cheeks rosy with the winter chill. Her yoyo was in her hand, ready to be cast off. Her pigtails appeared to be bouncing, although they were still lightly dusted with snow. Her eyes were closed in exhilaration.

But what really drew Marinette's attention was the girl behind Ladybug. Dracène Rouge was beaming at Ladybug with a look that could only be called affectionate. Her scaled suit glinted in the moonlight, and little flecks of snow caught in her hair. 

Marinette looked up at her girlfriend, a million questions on her tongue, but they all died when she saw how nervous Lila looked. 

Reaching a hand for her, Marinette said, "This is beautiful. Thank you, Lila." She squeezed Lila's hand reassuringly. Green eyes looked up to meet blue, and Lila knew that Marinette understood.

And just like that, everything was right in Lila's world.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this Lilanette story. If so, please consider leaving a review. Happy holidays! 
> 
> ~I wrote a short sequel, so check the series tag ;)


End file.
